World’s Best Eggnog

When a great chef and a modest guy tosses off a line like, “I make the world’s best eggnog,” I tend to listen. And to say, “Yeah? Tell me how!”
So when Matt Costello of The Inn at Langley said he’d share his secrets, I boarded just about the next ferry to Whidbey Island. And if a better eggnog does exist, I haven’t had it yet.
Here’s his recipe for the treat Costello serves up in shot glasses along with holiday desserts for the multi-course seasonal menus he cooks up at the inn. It’s a variation on one his mother used to make.
The recipe leaves some room for improvisation: Your “couple of glugs” may not be the same as Costello’s generous pour, followed by a pause, followed by another pour. Check out the video below to see how long the pours last, plus what the egg yolks and whites look like when done. (Be aware that this recipe uses raw egg, which the Centers for Disease Control recommends against eating, as it carries a risk of salmonella. Individual comfort levels differ on this one; Costello is comfortable with the eggs he generally gets from a farm near his Whidbey home.)
The ‘nog takes less than 10 minutes start to finish, and the final ethereal version tastes nothing like packaged brands – which was Costello’s point.
“Whenever we’ve gotten the eggnog carton stuff, it’s always viscous and almost cloying,” he said. His is thinner, yet still loaded with richness, lent its celestial texture by the whipped whites.

World’s Best Eggnog

Serves 4

4 eggs

a handful of sugar (1/3-1/2 cup to taste), plus one tablespoon

2 cups whole milk

1 cup cream

1 whole nutmeg (don’t substitute ground nutmeg if you can help it), grated

a couple of glugs of good dark rum (Costello uses Myers)

1. Separate eggs.

2. Add the handful of sugar and egg yolks to bowl of standing mixer with the whisk attachment. Beat at high speed until yolks lighten and thicken, carrying a “ribbon” when they drip off the whisk.

3. Add cream, milk, rum, and nutmeg to the yolk mixture, and lightly mix to combine. Set yolk mixture aside.

4. Add remaining tablespoon of sugar to the egg whites. Using a clean bowl and whisk attachment, beat the whites into a light meringue, until soft peaks form.

5. Fold the egg whites into the yolk mixture.

6. Serve immediately. If you like, you can fancy up the glasses by dipping the rims first in lime juice and then in sugar, or in a mix of sugar and finely chopped crystallized ginger.